Rafael Dos Anjos Calls Out Tyron Woodley, the UFC Champ Responds

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos has been nothing short of stellar since he moved up to the welterweight division. On Saturday night at UFC 215 in Edmonton, Dos Anjos won his second consecutive bout at 170 pounds. He submitted Neil Magny, a fighter believing he was on the cusp of a title shot, late in the first round. That followed a unanimous decision victory over former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine over the summer.

Dos Anjos’ primary reason for moving up in weight was to stop putting so much hardship on his body. Feeling like he was reducing the number of years he might have left on this Earth by putting his body through so much, Dos Anjos opted to fight at a more comfortable weight, and it is paying dividends.

Now, not only does he have his family’s future in mind, he’s also looking to a possible return to championship glory. Dos Anjos was the back-up plan if Demian Maia wouldn’t have fought current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently, and so he’s now ready to move up to the top spot and get his shot at the belt.

“I feel like I am the only guy that can be a threat for Tyron. But I’m coming, I come for the belt,” Dos Anjos said on FS1 after the fight, before sending a direct message to the champ.

“Tyron, I respect you a lot. You defend the title over three times in one year, but man, I’m coming, I’m coming for that belt.”

In the FS1 studio when Dos Anjos made his comments, Woodley, while admitting that the Brazilian was a legitimate contender, didn’t appear to feel threatened.

“Everybody think they have the solution to beat me, but I think I’m the most well rounded fighter. I punch the hardest in the UFC out of all the fighters.”